Biographical and historical memoirs of northeast Arkansas : comprising a condensed history of the state biographies of distinguished citizens a brief descriptive history of the counties, and numerous biographical sketches of the prominent citizens of such counties. V. 2, Part 17

Author:
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis : The Goodspeed Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1044

USA > Arkansas > Biographical and historical memoirs of northeast Arkansas : comprising a condensed history of the state biographies of distinguished citizens a brief descriptive history of the counties, and numerous biographical sketches of the prominent citizens of such counties. V. 2 > Part 17

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The position of Poinsett County, in Northeast Arkansas, is a favorable one. It is bounded north by Craighead, east by Mississippi, south by Crit- tenden and Cross Counties, and west by Jackson, comprising all the territory embraced in Townships 10, 11 and 12 north, in Ranges 1 to 7 inclusive, east of the fifth principal meridian of the United States surveys; thus making its length from east to west forty-two miles, and its width from north

to south eighteen miles. Its area, therefore. in- cluding the beds of its lakes and streams, is 756 square miles, or 483,840 acres. The State owns about 10,000 acres in the county, and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway Com- pany about 3,000, the balance being owned by in- dividuals.

About one-fourth of the county's surface is hilly and broken, and the balance comparatively level, much of it being prairie. Crowley's Ridge runs north and south through the center, varying in width from three to five miles. The St. Fran- cis River runs from north to south through the eastern part of the county, the Bay River from north to south on the east side of Crowley's Ridge, the L'Anguille from north to south west of Crow- ley's Ridge, and Bayou De View from north to south through the extreme western portion. These streams and their various tributaries furnish the drainage of the entire county. The St. Francis River widens out, especially in the northern part, and covers a large tract of territory known as the "Sunk Lands," which were sunk beneath the level surface in the earthquakes of 1811-12. The L'Anguille bottom is mostly a bluish clay, and on the "crab-apple barrens" a white clay. The prevalent timber in L'Anguille bottom is red and white oak, small scattering sweet gum and post oak on the "post oak land." The growth on the adjacent ridges is white and black oak, poplar and occasionally some pine; on the branches, poplar, gum, ash, elm and dogwood.

In Townships 10 and 11 north, Ranges 5 and 6 east, there is a peculiar soil of extraordinary fer- tility, occupying a portion of the St. Francis bot- tom, known as the "black wax land," which was formerly overflowed by the backwater of the Mis- sissippi. This soil will produce from fifty to sev- enty-five bushels of corn to the acre. The soil of Morell prairie is sandy, but is also good corn land. yielding forty to fifty bushels of corn to the acre, while the adjacent uplands of the Crowley Ridge produce from thirty to forty bushels. From the Narrows of the Crowley Ridge to Bolivar and Harrisburg, the quarternary gravel is quite con- spicuous on the higher grounds, and of a coarse

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POINSETT COUNTY.

character; some pieces would weigh several pounds. On Spencer Creek, some little sandstone is seen underlying the gravel and resting on sandy clay. At Hurricane Creek, near Harrisburg, the Crowley Ridge is about three miles wide. The material passed through, in sinking wells in the L'Anguille bottom, is usually twenty feet of yellow clay, under- laid by thirty to forty feet of light-colored sand, a moderately soft water being generally obtained at sixty feet. Immediately at the foot of the ridge, water is often obtained at twelve feet, the water getting gradually deeper for one mile into the bot- tom, where it is generally the deepest seated. *

The low, level surface in the eastern part of the county is covered with a heavy growth of cy- press, oak, gum and ash. Its western part was re-surveyed for the United States in the winter of 1856-57, by William Ainsworth and Granville McPherson. From the streams, wells, springs and cisterns, good water sufficient for all purposes is liberally furnished by nature.

A rich vein of coal extends north and south through Poinsett, ranging along Crowley's Ridge. The strata, which has a thickness of seven feet, can be reached at a depth of forty feet. Deposits of ferruginous earth and iron ore are found in various localities. A mineral spring called Entoba Spring, is situated four miles east of Harrisburg. The waters of this spring have been subjected to a chemical analysis and found to contain valuable medicinal properties.

At present, and for many years, the lumbering industry of Poinsett County is and will be a great source of income, especially to those engaged in the business, and to those owning the timber. There are a number of saw-mills here engaged in cutting the timber into lumber, for which the shipping facilities are excellent. The permanent industry and source of income to the people in general is agriculture, coupled with the raising of live stock, for which the county, on account of the great fertility of its soil, the mildness of the climate, and its abundant supply of water, is so well adapted. In 1880, according to the United States census, there were but 297 farms, with

only 7,979 acres of improved lands within this ter- ritory, and from the number of acres cultivated in 1879, the leading cereal and vegetable productions were as follows: Indian corn, 87,133 bushels; oats, 3,490; wheat, 1,529; Irish potatoes, 1,869; sweet potatoes, 2,634; cotton, 1,514 bales. The same census report shows the number of head of live stock then in the county to be as fol- lows: Horses, 500; mules and asses, 206; neat cattle, 3,676; sheep, 288: bogs, 6,361. These figures show that in 1880 Poinsett County was but slightly improved and developed.

At this writing the prices of land hereabouts are from $5 to $15 for improved, and from $3 to $5 for unimproved lands. With proper cultivation the uplands will yield 900 pounds of seed cotton, thirty-five bushels of corn, fifteen bushels of wheat, and forty bushels of oats to the acre; while from the bottom lands 1,500 pounds of seed cotton, fifty to sixty bushels of corn, twenty bushels of wheat, and fifty bushels of oats, to the acre, may be ob- tained. Tobacco will yield 1,600 pounds, and Irish and sweet potatoes from 200 to 300 bushels per acre. These amounts, however, are only ac- quired by thorough cultivation. Clover, millet, and the tame grasses succeed well, but as yet have not been cultivated to any considerable extent. Fruits of all kinds, common to the latitude, es- pecially small fruits, succeed admirably.

The population of Poinsett County, at the end of each census decade, as given in the reports of the United States census, has been as follows: 1840, 1,320; 1850, 2,308; 1860, 3,621; 1870. 1,721; 1880, 2,192. Originally the county con- tained much more territory than at present, which accounts for the larger population in 1860. The immigration since 1880 has been large, so that the next census will show a great increase. It is now estimated at 5,000.

Three railroads cross the entire territory of the county. The Kansas City. Fort Scott & Memphis traverses its eastern portion in a southeasterly di- rection; the Helena branch of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad passes north and south a few miles west of its center, by way of Green- field, Harrisburg and White Hall, and the St.

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Louis, Arkansas & Texas Railroad passes through the western portion of the county by way of Weiner and Fisher, in a direction a little west of south. The combined length of the main lines of these railroads within these boundaries is at least sixty-two miles. The railroad property forms a large proportion of the taxable wealth of the county.

The territory of Poinsett, lying as it does in the flat country between the Mississippi River and the hilly and mountainous country to the westward, was not settled so early as the latter. The early immigrants, being mostly from the hilly and roll- ing countries of the East, sought a country of like contour west of the Mississippi, and consequently passed over the rich lands of the valley proper to the more elevated lands found to the west- ward. The settlement of the territory now em- braced within the county began during the decade of the 20's, and progressed very slowly until recently. Prominent among the early settlers was Richard Hall (subsequently county judge), who came from Mississippi in 1828. The next year came William and Benjamin Harris, from Alabama. William afterward served as first county judge. Dr. Theophilus Griffin was a prominent pioneer settler, as was also Dr. John P. Hardis. Harrison Ainsworth and family came from Mississippi in 1836, and Robert H. Stone from Tennessee in 1839. Ainsworth settled near Bolivar. Owing to the slow settlement of the country the few pioneer settlers for many years had to live with their fami- lies isolated from society, without near neighbors, and comparatively like hermits. Too much praise can not be given to the brave and noble men and women who penetrated the "western wilds," for- saking the old home and all its dear associations, and endured the hardships and privations of fron- tier life, in order to provide pleasant homes and a competency for their posterity.

James Ainsworth, a farmer by occupation, is a Mississippian by birth, and has inculcated in him the sterling qualities of the better class of citizens

of that State. He was born in Monroe County in 1831, and is the eldest of ten children born to Har- rison and Susan (Spencer) Ainsworth, a brief his- tory of whom is given in the sketch of William Ainsworth, treasurer of Poinsett County. James became familiar with farm life through his father. who was a successful agriculturist, and his early scholastic advantages were only such as could be obtained in the common schools. After remaining under the parents' roof until thirty years of age, as- sisting in clearing the old home farm, he concluded it was time for him to start out in life for himself, and after purchasing and selling several farms, he bought his present place, consisting of 138 acres, of which fifty are under cultivation. In addition to what he raises he is engaged in buying and sell- ing stock, and finds this a profitable way in which to invest his money. He has taken quite an inter- est in local politics, and in his views is a Democrat. Socially he is a member of Lodge No. 184, A. F. & A. M., of which he has been treasurer for the past fifteen years, and he also belongs to Chapter No. 74, R. A. M., in which he holds the position of scribe. He was married in Poinsett County, in 1868, to Emily Hale, but her death occurred ten years later, and he was married, in 1879, to Sarah Stevens, by whom he has three children: James Thomas, Katie Bell and Ollie Lou. Mrs. Ainsworth is an intelligent lady, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and is a daughter of Moses and Marion Stevens, who were born in Geor- gia and emigrated to Arkansas at an early day, and both died in Craighead County, Ark.

William Ainsworth. The name borne by this substantial citizen is not an unfamiliar one.

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The red men fought and conquered, lost and won. The Ainsworth family was first represented in Ar kansas, in 1836, by Harrison Ainsworth, who was i born in the State of South Carolina, and was there married to Susan Spencer, whose birth also occurred in East Tennessee. On coming to Arkansas, they settled on a farm north of where Harrisburg is now situated, the county at that time being a vast wilderness of woods and canebrake, and was filled with roaming tribes of hostile red men and wild

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animals. Here the father, by the aid of his faith- ful wife, succeeded in clearing his farm, and this place was his home until his death, in 1845, his wife surviving him, and making her home on the old farm until her demise in 1866. William Ains- worth aided his parents materially in clearing the farm, but his youthful days were also spent in ac- quiring a thorough knowledge of the "three R's" in the public schools near his home. His birth occurred in Pontotoc County, Miss., on March 23, 1835, a short time prior to his parents' removal to this State, and at the age of twenty-three years, on the 6th of March, 1859, he was married in Craighead County, Ark., to Miss Martha White, and soon after purchased a timber tract, embracing 160 acres, which he immediately commenced to clear, and now has eighty-five acres under the plow. He has added to his original purchase, his acreage at the present time amounting to 600. His property is well improved, with good buildings and orchard, and for some time he has been acting as agent for a number of companies in the pur- chase of real estate, and is doing well in this busi- ness. He has always taken an active interest in politics, and has almost invariably voted the Dem- ocratic ticket, as the principles of this party thor- oughly coincide with his views. He was elected on this ticket to the office of county treasurer, in 1868, and served one term, being elected again in 1886 and 1888. He was county assessor in 1872 and 1873. He has always been interested in edu- cational matters, and as a member of the school board Mr. Ainsworth has done a great deal to raise the standard of education in his community. He has filled nearly all the chairs in the Masonic order, and is now a member of Poinsett Lodge No. 184. In 1878 he was called upon to mourn the death of his excellent wife, she having borne him a family of five children: Sarah E. (Mrs. Rice); Charles Thomas, married. and residing near his father; Margaret Jane (Mrs. Gray), also residing near her father; John Calvin and Lee Garland. Mrs. Ainsworth was a daughter of Rev. Thomas S. and Sarah White, who were natives, respectively, of Tennessee and Alabama. They came to Greene County, Ark., in 1838, and settled near Jonesboro,

where they spent their declining years, his death occurring in 1868, and hers in 1878. In 1879, Mr. Ainsworth was married, in Poinsett County. to Miss Martha Ellen Gray, a native of Alabama, and their union has been blessed by the birth of three children: Richard Baxter, Poindexter D. and Logan Cleveland. Mr. Ainsworth can well remember the time when it took eight days to go to Memphis, Tenn., for supplies, and can see great changes in the country since that time, he having been one of the leading men to institute these changes. He has been a member of the Methodist Church for many years, and his wife also belongs to the same church.

J. H. Allen, farmer and teacher, Harrisburg. Ark. It has long since been acknowledged that no matter what a man's occupation in life may be. a very necessary element to his success is a good education, and doubtless this is one cause of Mr. Allen's success in life. He was born in Mecklen- burg County, N. C., on the 30th of September, 1839, and is the son of Col. William Allen, one of the early settlers of North Carolina, and a native of that State. When a young man, the latter was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Hunter (subject's

mother), also a native of North Carolina. After his marriage the Colonel settled a large plantation in Mecklenburg County, N. C., and entered land in the Catawba purchase. The grandparents of J. H. Allen, on both sides, were natives of Dublin, Ireland, and the grandfathers were Revolutionary soldiers, and fought for American liberty. The ancestors on both sides were among the Irish peasantry. Grandfather Hunter was in the battle of King's Mountain. J. H. Allen's time in early life was divided between assisting on the farm and in attending the common schools. Subsequently he entered Davidson College, and graduated from that institution in the freshman class of 1856. Mr. Allen is one of three survivors of that class of twenty-two, who left the college on that memor- able June day. One. James Steward, a farmer in Brazil, South America; another. George Mor- row, tilling the soil in South Carolina, and the subject of this sketch, are the ones living: the rest are with the honored dead of the late struggle.

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HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

Mr. Allen took the course of 1858-59 in Cokesbury Theological Institute, in South Carolina, and left that institute to marry Miss H. R. Thrower, a beautiful lady, to whom he had been betrothed for seven years, but only reached her bedside in time to see her die. In 1861 he enlisted in the cause of the South, was in the battle of the Wilderness, and was severely wounded at Malvern Hill; was a brave and gallant soldier. He was paroled at Richmond, at the general surrender in 1865, and returned home, only to find all his property de- stroyed. He then engaged in his chosen profes- sion, teaching, and followed this in Mississippi and Arkansas for many years. He has been three times married, and is the father of fourteen chil- dren. He came to Arkansas in 1870, and has taught in the schools of this State for eighteen years. He has 160 acres of land, forty acres under cultivation; is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and of the I. O. O. F., Lodge No. 77, White Hall. He takes much interest in public enterprises. His word is his bond, always careful to perform his promise, and "owes no man anything," thereby fulfilling the Divine injunc- tion.

W. T. Beatty is a general merchant, post- master and magistrate at Perkins, Ark., and has been engaged in the first mentioned business since February, 1888. He keeps a full line of groceries, dry goods, boots and shoes, and shelf hardware, and, in addition to this manages a steam cotton- gin, of which he is the owner. His store building and residence are in one, and, although he is now living quietly, his life has been rather an eventful one. He was born in Madison County, Tenn., in 1844, and is the seventh of ten children born to John and Martha A. Beatty, who were born in the "Old North State." They removed to Madison County, Tenn., at an early day, and here the father opened up a good farm, on which he resided until his death, in 1854, his excellent wife passing from life in 1865. John Beatty was of English descent, was a Democrat in politics, and a Mason, and held office in this order. The maternal grand- father, Joseph Tarburton, was a German, and was a soldier in the Mexican War. W. T. Beatty re-

ceived his early schooling in Tennessee, and when war was declared, although only sixteen years of age, he enlisted from Madison County, Tenn., in Company E, Sixth Tennessee Infantry, for three years, or during the war, and went into service at Spring Creek, in that State. He was in the battle of Shiloh, but was afterward discharged at Tupelo, Miss., being under age. He remained inactive for about four months, a portion of the time being sick with typhoid fever; but after recovering he enlisted in the State Militia of Mississippi, and was then transferred to the Fifteenth Tennessee Cav- alry, under Gen. Forrest, and remained with him until the close of the war. He returned to Ten - nessee in 1866, and for some time was engaged in farming and saw-milling, and also followed rail- roading, being on the Belmont branch of the Iron Mountain road from 1874 to 1880, with headquarters at Columbus, Ky. From that time until 1882 he was in the Government employ, working on the Mis- sissippi River, and made his headquarters at Plum Point, Tenn. In the spring of 1883 he came to Marked Tree, Ark., and after following the occupa- tion of saw-milling for one year he went to Harris- burg, and embarked in the hotel and livery busi- ness. This enterprise he abandoned in 1885, and removed to Cross County, where he followed mill- ing, but returned in 1886 to Marked Tree. Here he has since been engaged in general merchandis- ing. He is a Democrat, and since September, 1888, he has held the office of magistrate, and since May of the same year has been postmaster at the office called Perkins. He belongs to the school board in District No. 14, and has always taken an interest in matters pertaining to education, being now the president of the Union Debating Society. He was married in Madison County, Tenn., in 1869, to Miss Nancy Ann Williford, of that State. and her death occurred in Columbus, Ky., October 1, 1880. She left two children: Wyatt Jefferson and Martha Ada (Mrs. Lucas), both of Paragould. In November, 1883, Mr. Beatty wedded, in Harris- burg, Miss Cynthia Aun Maynard. a native of Ten- nessee. She is a member of the Baptist Church. Since the construction of the railroad through Lit- tle River Township land has greatly increased in

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value, and it is only a question of a few years when this township will be one of the best farming regions in the county.

Elijah Bennett, farmer and stock raiser, Buf- falo Lick, Ark. All his life Mr. Bennett has fol- lowed, with substantial success, the occupation to which he was reared and in which he is now en- gaged-farming-and is recognized as one of the prominent tillers of the soil in Greenfield Town- ship. He is the fourth in a family of ten children born to Thomas and Martha (Rollins) Bennett, na- tives of Alabama. Thomas Bennett was a farmer, and in this occupation continued all his life. He came to Craighead County in 1867, settled near Jonesboro, and bought a tract of partly improved land, where he remained until his death, in 1882. His excellent wife stills survives him, and resides in Craighead County. Elijah Bennett was born in Russell County, Ala., in 1839, and, naturally per- haps, early exhibited taste for farm life, which was cultivated on a tract of land in Alabama. He re- ceived his education in the district schools of Cal- houn County, and in 1861 was married, in Chambers County of that State, to Miss Celia Smith, a na- ; tive of Alabama. Her death occurred in 1873, and she left four children: J. F., W. W., Lutie (now Mrs. Smith) and Robert. In 1861, the same year of his marriage, Mr. Bennett enlisted in Capt. Earl's Company Second Alabama Cavalry, and en- tered the service at Montgomery, Ala., in Fergu- son's Brigade. He was on skirmish duty most of the time, but was in the battle of Atlanta, Ga. He was paroled at Augusta, Ga., in 1865, after which he returned to Alabama, and in 1869 emi- grated to Poinsett County, where he purchased a timber tract of 160 acres. He at once commenced to improve forty acres, and is now one of the rep- resentative farmers of the county. He raises con- siderable stock, horses, cattle, hogs, etc., and makes a success of this. He was married again in 1874, to Delia Goodlow, a native of Harrisburg, Ark., and her death occurred in 1876. Mr. Ben- nett's third marriage took place in Craighead County, in 1879, to Miss Martha Wimpey, a native of Floyd County, Ga. Her father moved to Craig- head County, Ark., when she was quite young.

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Biographical and historical memoirs of northeast Arkansas : comprising a condensed history of the state biographies of distinguished citizens a brief descriptive history of the counties, and numerous biographical sketches of the prominent citizens of such counties. V. 2, Part 17

Author: Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis : The Goodspeed Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1044

Author:
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis : The Goodspeed Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1044